Use launchSettings.json for multiple startup projects

Question

Visual Studio has the possibility to debug multiple executable projects. For example when you want to debug a client/server application where you have both, the client and the server as separate executable in your solution, you select both projects as startup projects so that both executables are compiled and started when you run the application(s).

So far so good, but this is a setting that is stored for the solution and is local for every user (it is stored in the .vs folder which gets deleted when your clear the folder). Also it cannot be checked in into source control. That means that I have to tell this to everyone in our group to be able to debug the apps.

I was hoping I can do something similar with the launchConfig.json, but I couldn't find out how to do it. Has someone already done this?

Answer 1

This is now possible with the .slnLaunch file.

Multi-project launch profiles are available in Visual Studio 2022 17.11 and later. To enable or disable the Multi-project Launch Profiles feature, go to Tools > Options > Preview Features and toggle the checkbox for Enable Multi Launch Profiles.

See: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/ide/how-to-set-multiple-startup-projects?view=vs-2022